Patriotic Christians #6
Get Out and Vote!
Theme: On Election Day, citizens of our country participate in the greatest honor and responsibility we have as citizens — we cast our ballots for those whom we want to lead our local, state, and national governments. As Christians, we have a greater responsibility when voting — to ensure that Jesus is honored in our vote.
Introduction
We are concluding our study today of what it means to be a Patriotic Christian.
From where have we come? We started out talking about the need to pray for our country and fellow citizens.
We talked about praying for our leaders.
We talked about having a love for our country.
We talked about respecting the leaders that are extensions of God’s own authority in our world.
Last week we talked about not siloing our faith from the rest of our lives. We need to honor our country, and honor God. Those two things should not be separate parts of our lives.
So this morning, we see exactly where the rubber meets the road.
On Tuesday, we have the opportunity to set the course of our country for the next four years — by selecting which man will be the next President of the United States of America — by selecting federal Congressmen who will set the policy for at least the next two years.
This is where a democratic republic shines. The people are selecting the representatives to make decisions on our behalf.
We are trusting that those elected will remember that they are serving those who elected them.
In the United States, that is the way it has always been. This form of government is what makes us strong — the government is accountable to the people.
Have you ever wondered how we ended up with the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November as Election Day?
I’m sure I learned this in school, but I had to look it up again.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_Day_(United_States)>
In 1792, federal law required the states to choose their Presidential electors for the electoral college within a window of time of 34 days before the first Wednesday in December. This allowed time for the electors to travel to the official meeting of the Electoral College to officially cast their votes.
Because of this, November became the time for the populous election because it would have been after the harvest and before most of the severe winter weather that would impede transportation.
Tuesday was selected as Election Day so that voters could attend church on Sunday, travel to the polling location on Monday, vote on Tuesday, and be home on Wednesday, when farmers would typically sell their produce at market.
With the advent of the telegraph, and the onset of nearly instant national communication, a fear arose that one state might influence another state in Presidential electoral outcomes. So Congress in 1845 mandated a uniform national date for elections. The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. It fit well within the 34 day window established by federal law. By choosing this date, it is always 29 days between election day and the first Wednesday in December when the Electoral College is required to meet and officially cast their votes determining the outcome of the Presidential election.
<God's Voting Guide
By Terry Laughlin
Copied from Sermon Central>
And, so on Tuesday, we, the citizens of the United States of America are afforded opportunity and responsibility to vote for those who hold public offices — a privilege is given to us by God. After all, you must agree that it was God who raised this form of government in our country through our Founding Fathers. Many of them had a reverent fear of the Lord. George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
By example, in the Old Testament, God had called forth a great leader, Moses, to deliver His people from bondage of slavery at the hand of Pharaoh. After their deliverance and while Moses was judging the disputes of the people Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, gave Moses some very good advice that Americans would do well to heed.
21 But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. (Exodus 18, NLT)
Wise advice for us today.
At this critical time America needs men and women who will rule this nation in the fear of God. We need statesmen, not politicians, who are men and women of prayer and who passionately seek God’s wisdom through the written Word of God. Most of our Founding Fathers had great knowledge of God’s Word and they knew what was to be done. One of them was Noah Webster. He wrote the following:
“When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public offices let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose as rulers men who rule in the fear of God…. The preservation of a republican government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect this duty and place unprincipled men in office the government will soon be corrupted....”
So let’s consider this morning some guidance for selecting who gets the mark beside their name on the ballot on Tuesday.
1. First, we need to vote for those who publicly pronounce their faith and then live by the faith they profess.
What do I mean? We need to vote for those who have a genuine faith.
Men and women who fear God.
Men and women who trust in God.
Men and women who lead lives of faith.
<Jimmy Carter On Evidence Of Genuine Faith
By SermonCentral
From a sermon by Chris Surber, Fruit Worthy of Repentance, 12/9/2009
Copied from Sermon Central>
In his book Living Faith former President, Jimmy Carter writes: A group of Christian workers involved in missionary work approached a small village near an Amish settlement. Seeking a possible convert, they confronted an Amish farmer and asked him, “Brother, are you a Christian?” The farmer thought for a moment and then said, “Wait just a few minutes.” He wrote down a list of names on a tablet and handed it to the workers. “Here is a list of people who know me best. Please ask them if I am a Christian.” The evidence of faith is spiritual fruit.
What would people say about us?
What fruit do we bear?
And as we are considering men and women for whom we select, what can we say about their faith? What fruit do they bear?
Consider this: do the candidates publicly profess faith, yet act, vote, and sponsor laws in such a way that opposes that faith?
Do they profess faith, yet in their faith do not stand for Biblical truths and Christian values?
While I hold some certain political differences with former President Jimmy Carter, there is one thing you can say: he has lived his life by the faith he professes.
<https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2018/04/11/faith-jimmy-carter
Betsy Shirley
April 11, 2018>
In an article in America: The Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture, writer Betsy Shirley says of President Carter, “[He] remains adamant about the role of Christians in the political sphere.”
President Carter says, “I believe now, more than then, that Christians are called to plunge into the life of the world and to inject the moral and ethical values of our faith into the processes of governing.”
He calls on people of faith to stop being “spectators” and start challenging injustice. In his book, he asks, “What is the proper response from people of faith when there is an obvious disparity between our government’s policies and our religious beliefs?” Several sentences later, he answers: Look to the example of Jesus and His disciples, who demonstrated that “civil disobedience is in order when human laws are contrary to God’s demand.”
Betsy concludes: “It is a radical conclusion. Despite his obvious displeasure about the current state of political affairs, the former U.S. president saves his most forceful criticism—and his strongest appeal to take action—for the church.”
The same can be said of current Vice-President Mike Pence.
<https://www.gospelherald.com/articles/65375/20160717/mike-pence-born-again-evangelical-catholic-comes-from-democrat-to-republican.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQjwlvT8BRDeARIsAACRFiWC8IuBRYVXJEFZtgcuMjT_XT4N9Dgsfznr8gA-eNha34FoUEjPx7EaAvOWEALw_wcB
The Gospel Herald
Julie Brown Patton
July 17, 2016>
In an article for The Gospel Herald, Julie Brown Patton quotes author Craig Fehrman. Fehrman states that “One of Pence's many former slogans is that he's "a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order” — and "there's no doubt that he loves his family, his state, and his God.”
But Mike Pence had not always been so focused. It changed when he left politics for a while.
But when Pence returned to Congress in 2000, Fehrman said it was clear Pence had changed. "He won the seat and held on for the next 12 years, eventually rising to third in the GOP's congressional leadership. But his faith stayed front and center," reported Fehrman. Pence refused to campaign on Sundays. He also declined to dine solo with women who weren't his wife. "It's about building a zone around your marriage," he told the Hill.
When asked if he define himself as a believer, Vice-President Pence’s response was: “I'm a pretty ordinary Christian, trying to make that faith real every day.”
After being elected as Indiana’s governor, Pence began pushing a very [faith-based] agenda, according to Fehrman. "While the most notorious example came when he signed the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015, Pence's faith has driven decisions big and small. It led him to sign a new anti-abortion law so restrictive that the American Civil Liberties Union is now suing the state. It led him to award a $3.5 million contract to Real Alternatives, a nonprofit that pushes abstinence education and urges pregnant women not to abort," stated Fehrman.
As we go to the polls on Tuesday, we need to select men and women who stand firmly on what is right and true according to God’s Word.
We need to select men and women who publicly confess their faith and long to make decisions according to God’s Will, God’s law, and a Biblical world view.
2. We need to vote for those who uphold fundamental Christian moral values.
When we elect men and women of genuine faith, we are trusting that they will uphold moral Christian, Biblical values.
While I do not ascribe to some of the teachings of the Catholic Church, I will say that they do a great job providing leadership and guidance for their members.
<https://www.ewtn.com/vote/non-negotiables.asp>
For example, the Eternal Word Television Network aka the Global Catholic Network published a voting guide, in which they offer three “non-negotiables” that Christians should consider when voting for candidates.
First, they talk about the non-negotiable of the dignity and sanctity of human life.
Pope John Paul II said, “[T]he common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights – for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture – is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with the maximum determination.”
The right to life includes opposition to abortion, euthanasia, and doctor assisted suicide, to name a few.
Consider this passage from Luke 1:
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary… [and said]… 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” (Luke 1, NLT)
It was an unborn child about six months old that reacted to Mary’s arrival in Elizabeth’s home. Think about the meaning of this.
The second they list is the dignity and sanctity of marriage and family.
Pope Francis said: “The first setting in which faith enlightens the human city is the family. I think first and foremost of the stable union of man and woman in marriage. This union is born of their love, as a sign and presence of God’s own love, and of the acknowledgment and acceptance of the goodness of sexual differentiation, whereby spouses can become one flesh (cf. Gen 2:24) and are enabled to give birth to a new life, a manifestation of the Creator’s goodness, wisdom and loving plan.”
Consider the words of the Hebrew writer:
4 Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. (Hebrews 13, NLT)
The third non-negotiable is the sanctity of religious freedom.
Pope Benedict 14, said, “Few have understood this as clearly as the late Pope John Paul II. In reflecting on the spiritual victory of freedom over totalitarianism in his native Poland and in eastern Europe, he reminded us that history shows, time and again, that “in a world without truth, freedom loses its foundation”, and a democracy without values can lose its very soul (cf. Centesimus Annus, 46). Those prophetic words in some sense echo the conviction of President Washington, expressed in his Farewell Address, that religion and morality represent “indispensable supports” of political prosperity.”
[O]nly by protecting Freedom of Conscience––religious conscience, political conscience, and the freedom to express that conscience in speech, alone or in association with others, can other freedoms be preserved. If a government can command what we think, believe, speak and with whom we associate in order to do it, it can command or forbid anything whatsoever.
We need to consider these areas, as they are supported through Scripture.
Fundamental moral, Biblical values by which we must evaluate candidates.
Why?
There is a significant decline in the moral state of our country!
<https://news.gallup.com/poll/1681/moral-issues.aspx
https://news.gallup.com/poll/210917/views-moral-values-slip-seven-year-lows.aspx>
Annually, Gallup polls Americans asking “How would you rate the overall state of moral values in this country today — as excellent, good, only fair or poor?”
Although moral values have been consistently negative through the years since 2002 when Gallup first began asking the question, the responses have slipped to their lowest point in seven years. More than four in five (81%) now rate the state of moral values in the U.S. as only fair or poor.
When asked, “What is the most important problem with the state of moral values in the country today?”, 18% of respondents indicated “Consideration of others/Compassion/Caring/Tolerance/Respect”.
Gallup concludes by saying: “Though majorities of Americans say they are proud of their country and are satisfied with their overall quality of life, they are not as positive about the state of the nation's moral values. Even liberals, who seemingly should be pleased with the growing number of Americans who agree with their point of view on the morality of prominent social issues, are more likely to say things are getting worse than getting better.”
So how do we combat the decline in moral values? Start at the top. Cast our ballots for those who have high moral standards, who support Christian, Biblical moral perspectives, and those with a genuine faith.
1. Finally, this morning, we need to vote for Jesus.
That’s right — vote for Jesus.
<https://www.foxnews.com/us/2020-jesus-campaign-yard-signs-christianity
Thousands put up ‘Jesus 2020’ signs ahead of election: 'He's the only way’
Caleb Parke, associate editor, FoxNews.Com
August 19, 2020>
In an article for Fox News, Caleb Parke writes:
He's not a third-party presidential candidate up for election in November, but thousands across the country are putting up "Jesus 2020" yard signs.
More than 5,000 signs have shipped out to California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and other states from a campaign that began at Sampey Memorial Baptist Church in Ramer, Ala.
"People need Jesus with everything that's going on," Joyce Hubbard, one of the Jesus 2020 co-organizers, told Fox News. "He's the only one that we can count on. He's the one that keeps his promises. He's already the winner.”
Hubbard and her friend, Martha Sikes, came up with the idea at their small church, which reopened in May and has several members still at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. The two wanted to spark a revival of hope in a climate of despair.
"If everyone would just focus on Jesus right now, everything would just fall into place and we wouldn't have the problems we have," Hubbard said. "He's the only way."
OK, so I know, Jesus isn’t actually on the ballot as a candidate. But we do need to vote for, not against, Jesus.
<https://outreachmagazine.com/features/discipleship/60819-voting-like-a-christ-follower.html
Voting Like a Christ Follower
By Jake Mills
October 26, 2020
OutreachMagazine.com>
In an article for Outreach Magazine entitled Voting Like a Christ Follower, Jake Mills writes:
You can’t vote for Jesus, but you should vote for Jesus.
You can’t opt for clichés and call it good. You can’t put the “Jesus 2020” sign in your yard and be done. You can’t just share the “Jesus wins” meme on Facebook. These cannot be the extent of the intersection between … faith and … politics in your life.
Yet, there should be an intersection of your faith and your politics. If there’s not, you’ve got a problem. That problem is probably that you don’t actually have a faith in Jesus like you think (or say) you do.
A lot of people go to the polls with a mindset that faith and politics don’t mix. Their vote is completely divorced from their faith. They say they’re Christian, go to church, read their Bible, post-Christian stuff on social media, all that, but they leave it all behind when they go to the polls. Christian people, except on Election Day. Christian people voting as non-Christian people.
Here’s what I mean. They choose their candidate based on whether they’re pro-union or anti-union, big government or small government, for socialized medicine or against it.
Or more likely: blue or red.
[For example], it seems to be all about the economy. Which candidate will create the best economy? Translation: which candidate will get me more money?
What we really should be asking is “Which candidate is for more of what Jesus is for?”
• Jesus is for saving and protecting the lives of those most defenseless.
• Jesus is for helping the poor.
• Jesus is for healing the sick.
• Jesus is for honesty, truth and integrity.
• Jesus is for crossing cultural boundaries with love.
• Jesus is for offering grace to the sinner (even the ones condemned to death on a cross next to him).
• Jesus is for … (let your Bible fill in the blank).
I’m not saying we can legislate Christianity or somehow vote people into heaven, but I am saying this:
Just because you can’t vote for Jesus, doesn’t mean you can’t vote for the Jesus in a candidate.
Conclusion
Let’s be honest, there is no one who is running for political office that is perfect.
Every single one of the candidates has some kind of flaw. We are all human. We all fall way short of God’s glory and His perfection.
And since that is true, no one who is running for office is ultimately the solution for the problems and challenges we have in America today.
Truth is, only God is that solution.
Let me encourage you with some undeniable election results.
Come Wednesday morning, no matter the outcome of the vote, these seven things are still guaranteed:
1. God is still on His throne.
Psalm 9:7:
[T]he Lord sits as King forever;
He has established His throne for
judgment…
(NASB)
2. Jesus is still the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Revelation 17:14:
These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” (NASB)
3. The Bible is still God’s truth and will guide us to answers to our questions.
2 Timothy 3:16:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…. (NKJV)
4. Prayer still works.
James 5:16:
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (NKJV)
5. Jesus is still the way to Heaven.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (NKJV)
6. God still desires all to seek Him and surrender to Him.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. (NASB)
7. God is still with us, will never leave us, nor forsake us.
Hebrews 13:5
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.” (NLT)
And a bonus:
God is the same yesterday, today, and will be the same after the election is over.
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (NLT)
This morning, I strongly encourage you to let your voice be heard — let your vote be counted — let God be blessed in our decisions.
I also encourage you to pray. Pray for your decision. Pray for the candidates. Pray for our leaders. Pray for the outcomes that God’s will is done — that God is blessed — that God is honored by our actions, our words, and our lives.
And if you wondering what difference does one little vote make, consider this:
<DOES ONE VOTE MATTER???
By Dr. Larry Petton
Copied from Sermon Central>
Voter participation often suffers because of the generally accepted belief that “one vote really can’t make a difference.” Here is historical proof quite to the contrary!
1645: 1 VOTE gave control of England to Oliver Cromwell.
1649: 1 VOTE approved the beheading of King Charles I.
1800: 1 VOTE made Thomas Jefferson president instead of Aaron Burr.
1845: 1 VOTE brought Texas into the United States.
1850: 1 VOTE admitted California and Oregon into the United States.
1868: 1 VOTE saved President Andrew Johnson from Impeachment.
1875: 1 VOTE ended the monarchy in France for a voting democracy.
1876: 1 VOTE made Rutherford B. Hayes a United States President.
1923: 1 VOTE placed Adolph Hitler as the leader of the Nazi Party.
1993: 1 VOTE by Al Gore approved the largest tax increase in American history.
This morning, one vote does matter.
Do your civic, patriotic, and Christian duty on Tuesday if you have not already done so — go out and vote!
